FAQ’s

What are your products made of?

A. We stock over 3,000 unique items made from a variety of materials. The following are some definitions and information about our product line:

Alabastrite: A stone-based material that can be intricately molded and will allow paint to adhere. Cold-cast. Also sometimes called Alabaster. Alabastrite is extremely durable, heavy, cold and stone-like to the touch. This polyresin material can be finished to closely resemble rock, ceramic, wood, bronze and other metals. Excellent for sculptures, home decor items, and garden ornaments.

Bone China: White clay with bone ash added. Bone ash content must be at least 25% by US guidelines. Fired at 1800 degrees. The translucent material is finished with a glaze or underglaze (matte). Lighter, stronger, more expensive than porcelain.

Dolomite: Usually gray, pink, or white mineral, essentially used as a construction and ceramic material, a furnace refractory, and in fertilizer. A magnesia-rich sedimentary rock resembling limestone.

Frosted Acrylic: Acrylic items are given the French Lilac process (used on glass), to achieve the distinctive frosted look. The drama of frosted glass without the weight.

Gypsum: Gypsum is made from a white mineral which is usually used to make Plaster of Paris.

Hong Tze: To closely emulate a special stone found in China which is known for its deep red color, these items are created using an alabastrite polyresin. Hong Tze pieces are highly polished, further bringing out the intense deep red color.

Patchwork: European designer fabric is stretched over ceramic or porcelain figurines, then coated with twelve layers of lacquer. Each application of lacquer is hand polished, for a rich shine and an ultra-smooth finished texture. The texture of the final pieces, not felt, because of the twelve layers of lacquer covering them.

Porcelain: Fine ground white clay, molded and fired in an oven for eight hours at 1200 degrees. Finished with a glazed, underglazed, or "bisque" finish. Glazing produces a high gloss; underglaze produces a matte finish. Bisque is a matte finish without glaze.

Stoneware: White clay with fine ground stone. Working with stoneware demands great expertise, and is in fact becoming a lost art. Stoneware is safe to use in microwave and conventional ovens.

Are your products safe? What is California Prop 65?

A. Yes, our products meet or exceed all federal safety guidelines and standards  including standards for food safety. Some ceramic glazes may contain trace levels of lead or cadmium pigment, well within the federal safety guidelines.

To comply with California’s strict Prop 65 warning requirements, we are required to post the following notice:

Important Note to California Consumers: The materials used in the decorative glaze on a few of our ceramic items contain lead and/or cadmium.

We have included California Prop 65 information in the product description of all items that may contain trace amounts of lead or cadmium. "Warning: These products contain a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and/or birth defects."